Sandy Solution

I think everyone will agree that Sandy Ridge is a pearl dropped in our laps, and by the numbers of people using the place its safe to say its a success. The new trails have really broadened the sprectrum and will continue to attract more riders. With that increased traffic the trails are getting worked - Flow Motion was done and over in a matter of days for example. Such a bummer.

Which leads us to: how do we / they go about taking care of the place, who should take care of it, how should it be done? Granted its summer time and dry, kind of at the end of it and things will show the wear.

My own proposition is to get the local bike shops involved - more specifically the ones that sell the bikes and direct all that traffic to the trails, have brand demos, and in general financially benefit simply from its existence. I'm not saying this in a spiteful manner, it is what it is. My idea is that much like the "adopt a highway" program a shop would sponsor the trail and be in charge of the basic maintenance. Employees would need basic trail building class or certification. A sign could be put on the posts at trail entrance saying " Flow Motion - adopted and maintained by Fat Tire Farm" for example. This would not be license to alter the trail ala Kramer when he adopted his highway, but to patch things and in general keep it in check.

Granted theres a bit of commercialism attached, but NWTA / Ant Farm / whoever cant possibly be there all the time and with out regular help it will get worse. Shop involvement make sense and as far as I know regular ol' riders arent allowed to go proactive and fix it ourselves.

The lower section of H&S that was armored with the block has worked & held up fantastically. Yes that's a lot more work than throwin shovels full of gravel around but hey. I have seen any type concrete raked in with the soil work extremely well for that type of soil/traffic. Easy to work with & it WORKS.

I think everyone will agree that Sandy Ridge is a pearl dropped in our laps, and by the numbers of people using the place its safe to say its a success. The new trails have really broadened the sprectrum and will continue to attract more riders. With that increased traffic the trails are getting worked - Flow Motion was done and over in a matter of days for example. Such a bummer.

Which leads us to: how do we / they go about taking care of the place, who should take care of it, how should it be done? Granted its summer time and dry, kind of at the end of it and things will show the wear.

My own proposition is to get the local bike shops involved - more specifically the ones that sell the bikes and direct all that traffic to the trails, have brand demos, and in general financially benefit simply from its existence. I'm not saying this in a spiteful manner, it is what it is. My idea is that much like the "adopt a highway" program a shop would sponsor the trail and be in charge of the basic maintenance. Employees would need basic trail building class or certification. A sign could be put on the posts at trail entrance saying " Flow Motion - adopted and maintained by Fat Tire Farm" for example. This would not be license to alter the trail ala Kramer when he adopted his highway, but to patch things and in general keep it in check.

Granted theres a bit of commercialism attached, but NWTA / Ant Farm / whoever cant possibly be there all the time and with out regular help it will get worse. Shop involvement make sense and as far as I know regular ol' riders arent allowed to go proactive and fix it ourselves.

Thats my idea. Insane? lets hear some others.

It may good idea to have some ownership for each trail or section of trail at SR. That is what the crew at Black Rock does, but they are a fairly tight knit group and communicate well.

NWTA has found that a few well placed work parties in Spring and Fall can go a long way. Local bike related business has been involved with sponsoring each of the spring 2013 work parties thanks to T. at NWTA. It has been proven more people show up to 3 or 4 events each fall/spring than a "regular" work party every month. As far as I know, NWTA will continue with these work parties.

Maintaining trail in the summer is just too difficult. Working on trail in dry conditions would just make it worse. Most of the reason Flow Motion is so blown out is because it was not bedded in or seasoned before the dry weather hit. Other than doing things like clearing debris from the trail and cleaning out drains, there is not much that can be done on a regular basis

At the moment, the BLM, IMBA, Ant Farm/Youth Crews and NWTA are the only official entities I know of that have been involved in trail work at SR. Now that the majority of trail building is completed, I am not sure how much the BLM or IMBA will stay involved. For an adopt a trail program to work, I think there would need to be a group put together that could focus on the task communicating and organizing resources specifically for Sandy Ridge.

I feel they're currently doing a pretty good job maintaining the trails. I heard someplace that Sandy Ridge gets 40,000 visits annually, if this is true, the trails are holding up to the high amounts of traffic pretty good.

I think you'd be better off using the time and resources toward educating people how to ride the trails correctly.

Good post Ezzie! I agree that stewardship would be beneficial to the short and long term success of Sandy. Blackrock is a prime example. OHM makes a strong point as well. Flow Motion may not have had time to bed in, but the destruction is directly related to a severe percentage of folks that are in so far over their heads it is simply not funny. Experience and skill... just not fashionable these days? There are spaghetti trails and root hackings to back up this issue. FTL did not have any more time to "bed in" and it is in fine shape. I guess dragging your brakes on that trail is not as popular? Maybe it's just the "foot" traffic that keeps FTL in such great shape? In regards to the local shop maintenance program think about the uncountable amount of shiny, sparkling new bikes out there. Somebody is selling 'em and sending them to Sandy.

Good post Ezzie! I agree that stewardship would be beneficial to the short and long term success of Sandy. Blackrock is a prime example. OHM makes a strong point as well. Flow Motion may not have had time to bed in, but the destruction is directly related to a severe percentage of folks that are in so far over their heads it is simply not funny. Experience and skill... just not fashionable these days? There are spaghetti trails and root hackings to back up this issue. FTL did not have any more time to "bed in" and it is in fine shape. I guess dragging your brakes on that trail is not as popular? Maybe it's just the "foot" traffic that keeps FTL in such great shape? In regards to the local shop maintenance program think about the uncountable amount of shiny, sparkling new bikes out there. Somebody is selling 'em and sending them to Sandy.

I can bring up the idea of stewardship if I make it to the next NWTA meeting.

As far as trail damage goes. Flow motion gets considerably more traffic than FTL. The tread is also completely different. FTL is mostly rock or dirt rock mix. I am sure newbies are walking a good portion of it as you said.

I am not sure why, but I have noticed more new riders at Sandy Ridge than any other place in Oregon. Not sure how to improve someone's skill level other than time on the bike or instruction. There are plenty of places to get good instruction if you want it.

Thanks Bubba... sorry to whine about "skill levels". I believe that there are more new riders at Sandy for three reasons: location, it's 35 miles from SE PDX / the trails are AWESOME! / LOCAL SHOPS ARE SENDING FOLKS OUT THERE!!! BG-River City-FTF-Cycle Path, etc... it is time.

Thanks Bubba... sorry to whine about "skill levels". I believe that there are more new riders at Sandy for three reasons: location, it's 35 miles from SE PDX / the trails are AWESOME! / LOCAL SHOPS ARE SENDING FOLKS OUT THERE!!! BG-River City-FTF-Cycle Path, etc... it is time.

Ah, but that means that all those people are not on the other trails in the area which is a great thing in my book! If only I was on the bike these days.

Ah, but that means that all those people are not on the other trails in the area which is a great thing in my book! If only I was on the bike these days.

True dat' Thor! Now, when I go for a ride that is not Sandy (or PB) I usually have the trails to myself and they are all in primo shape!

The reason for FM getting hammered this early is because all the masses are riding it, along with lower HnS as their go to ride, since it is all dirt with no technical sections that makes it easy for anyone of any skill to roll thru (or brake thru as indicated). I too, have noticed more beginners and families there more than normal as well this summer. Too bad the lower parking lot loop isn't utilized more to prep them for the other trails some. If I were to take some beginners or families up, that is all I would have them ride, along with Laura's loop when ready, then lower HnS, etc.

Ah, but that means that all those people are not on the other trails in the area which is a great thing in my book! If only I was on the bike these days.

Agreed, but what is keeping you off the bike? I hope that you are not injured. If so, I am sending all the good feelings that I can! In regards to your point the trails ARE empty of other riders. It is like everyone is on their cross bikes leaving Mt.Hood and the Gifford Pinchot all to myself. Solitude, great trails... what a combo. The last trip around Mt.Hood was over 40 miles an we saw nobody all day.

Actually, there is, you just don't see it in a line item from the retailer, the taxes are worked into the price by the retailer, who pays a percentage of profit gains to taxes. If taxes in Oregon became line item, prices would not rise or fall, you would simply find out you pay more for your products(non-vice goods) than most people living in middle class neighborhoods of Washington state.

I'm going to stay with the 30+ years of market research and keep riding years of proofing.

Where I live, the FS incorporated the adopt-a-trail program. People or businesses could adopt trails after taking a class on trail maintenance/building/repair. It hasn't seemed to change too much, it is still tough to get permission to get any maintenance done, which has created a little bit of a fallout between the FS and the local bike community. A lot of riders and shops invested a lot of time and energy that, in the end, may not have a payoff in the long run.

The secret to mountain biking is pretty simple. The slower you go the more likely it is you’ll crash.
- Julie Furtado